Actor and recording artist Joshua Triplett stops by on Close-Up Culture to talk about his work on Forty-Seven With Jesus. The film tells the story of a disconnected family who find hope and unity through a cinematic retelling of Jesus’ final 47 days on Earth.
Hello Joshua, welcome to Close-Up Culture. What interested you about the film Forty-Seven Days with Jesus?
Hello, thank you so much for having me. Really excited to chat with you and your audience. Forty Seven Days with Jesus was interesting to me because it was partially a musical and I am a musical theater major. I was excited to work on a film where I get to showcase multiple talents. The movie came at a very tough time in my career, during the middle of the SAG/AFTRA and WGA Strike. It was approved on the interim agreement so I was just very excited to get some work. The project turned out to be amazing!
What can you tell us about your role in the film?
I play one of the lead roles in the film. One of the twelve disciples, Peter, The Rock! Growing up in a very religious household, I knew my mother and other people from my hometown community would be very proud. This role was perfect timing for me and I am so proud to have the opportunity to portray Peter.
What do you hope audiences take away from the film?
This film is great for all ages! After playing it in over one thousand theaters nationwide the unanimous reaction was joy. People seemed to have left the theaters being more present and wanting to spend more time with their loved ones. The biblical story is a cherry on top. What I love about this film is you don’t have to be a believer in order to watch it and walk away feeling impacted.
How do you find balance between your actor and music careers?
This is a tough question and it comes in waves or seasons. Sometimes I am way too busy with acting and can’t find time to think about much else. However, there are times where I have all the time in the world and this is when I find balance. I am a busy body and I have a lot of passions. I find time to create art as often as I can. I have been working on my upcoming album little by little over the past five years. I am excited that now is the time for people to listen to my debut album as a cohesive project. I am even more excited to share this opportunity and milestone with my daughter, Jaidyn. I executive produced and co-wrote her upcoming album and I could not be more honored and excited.
Where do you draw your musical inspiration from?
My inspiration comes from all over. I grew up singing in church so that is the foundation, I am a musical theater major so storytelling is a huge part of my music and I love R&B as it is one of my favorite genres of music. My new album is a mixture of everything, and most importantly, it is a diary. It was literally therapy as I wrote it and reflected on the past situations. My album revisits a true story about how I met my wife, how we became parents and navigating the complexities of love, life and the pursuit of happiness. Along the way, we concurred pregnancy, infidelity, death, and ultimately marriage. It is an incredible project and I can’t wait for you guys to hear it.
What are you working on at the moment?
I just wrapped up a couple episodes of General Hospital set to release this summer. I also just wrapped a few commercials that will be circulating the tv screens throughout the year. I am excited to launch my new E-Course that teaches people how to become a full time working commercial actor. I took the last two years writing out the blueprint that I used for myself and my family and this is what I teach to my current clients as well. It’s called RESIDUAL ACTOR, and is a must have resource to anyone interested in commercial acting. As mentioned, I will be releasing my debut album, it’s a 16-part musical web series and every song has an in depth video that helps detail the story. I am also looking forward to live performances. I am producing a documentary and always writing and planning for the next big thing.
Father’s Day is fast approaching. How do you juggle fatherhood with your busy work schedule?
This is hard to do but I am also very blessed that my family is in this industry as well. Most of the time we get to work together or at the very least be in the same place at the same time which helps a lot. I have two beautiful daughters, 13 and 6. They are both my pride and joy. I enjoy coaching them, taking them around the world to see new things, creating new content for social media, creating music with them, or just sitting around the house playing games or being lazy. Rest is such an overlooked dynamic that we all have to come to appreciate. My wife is there every step of the way from the wings just like an incredible stage manager. The show would not work with out here lol
What are your hopes and ambitions for the future?
I have too many to detail here but I will choose a couple. I pray that my future includes happiness, good health, and safety. I pray that bills continue to be paid on time and God continues to shine so brightly through my family that others will see him in us. I hope that God continues to bless us so much that our cup continuously overflows so that we can continue to be a blessing to those around us. I pray that our careers, ambitions and dreams continue to come true and we find much success in our respected fields. I will take this time to give thanks in advance for providing for my family. Thank you so much for your time. I am looking forward to the next opportunity we have to chat.
Photographer: Terekah Najuwan